Dallas at Philadelphia (November 9)
Dallas mostly held small leads early in the 1st quarter, none larger than
6 points. The Mavs led 24-19 with 2 minutes remaining and Philadelphia
scored the next 7 points. 2 free throws by Devin Harris capped the
quarter scoring. The game was tied 26-26 after 1. The game remained
close in the 2nd quarter as there were 6 ties and the largest lead was 6
points. Erick Dampier was having a nice outing in the 1st half with 8
points and 5 rebounds, before picking up his 3rd foul midway through the
2nd quarter and sitting the rest of the way. Dirk Nowitzki also picked up
his 3rd foul early in the 2nd quarter, but stayed in and did not pick up
another foul (though a few times Philadelphia got an easy bucket as
Nowitzki wasn't going to risk contact). Dallas closed the quarter with an
8-2 run to go up 52-46 at the half. Nowitzki tweaked his back with a
minute and a half left in the 2nd quarter and did not return in the 2nd
half. He scored 12 points in the 2nd quarter. For the half, Dallas shot
54% FG and Philadelphia shot 40% FG. Keith Van Horn had 8 points and 9
rebounds in the half. Kyle Korver came out of halftime shooting lights
out and single-handedly kept Philly in the game - Philly was unable to
stop Dallas from scoring. Korver scored Philadelphia's first 8 points of
the quarter (on 4-4 FG) and Dallas' lead got no larger than 8 points.
Dallas led 71-66 with 2 minutes left. Devin Harris sprained his left
ankle, but tried to stay in (and he should have been pulled as there was
no way a limping player can keep up with Allen Iverson). Sure enough,
Iverson got open for a jumper on the next possession. Harris' shoulders
slumped with disappointed for the failed defensive assignment and he lost
focus and Lee Nailon was able to step in and intercept the short inbounds
pass from Van Horn to Harris and Nailon got an easy layup. Right there
you could feel momentum shift [and I was screaming for a timeout over the
next minute and a half, even though the quarter was about to end]. Harris
was subbed out after that lapse and he did not return due to the ankle.
Van Horn was called for traveling and Nailon got a putback on the other
end. Dallas missed and Iverson drove for a layup and was fouled (his
first make after 7 straight misses). He missed the free throw, but got
the rebound. 2 free throws by Andre Iguodala capped the 9-0 Philly run
that ended the quarter (that was 9 points in less than 100 seconds of
play). Philadelphia led 76-71 after 3. Korver had 10 points in the 3rd
quarter. Philly continued to have the hustle and energy going into the
4th quarter and pulled away with a 19-5 run to go up 95-76 with 6:20 to
go. Dallas did have another push in them as they went on a 12-3 run,
capped by a 3-pointer by Jason Terry, to pull within 88-98 with 3:35 left.
Another 3 by Terry pulled Dallas within 93-102 with 2:25 remaining, but
Terry was called for a foul in the backcourt - his 6th and Philly was in
the penalty. Iverson hit 2 free throws and Philadelphia's lead remained
in double-digits the rest of the way. Philadelphia won 112-97.
It's amazing watching a game and seeing so clearly momentum shift. The
game was not lost when Dirk Nowitzki went down, but when Lee Nailon stole
the inbounds pass. At that point Dallas had a "woe is me, let's end this
quarter" attitude and Philadelphia had an energized attitude of pressing
and attacking. It was a 28-5 Philadelphia run that spanned the end of the
3rd quarter and into the 4th quarter. And it's a shame as Dallas had a
number of solid performances in the 1st half. Erick Dampier, Keith Van
Horn, and Dirk Nowitzki played very well in the 1st half. But that
attitude shift killed both Dallas' offense and defense. After only
shooting 40% FG in the 1st half, Philadelphia shot 66% FG in the 2nd half
as part of out-scoring Dallas 66-45 in the 2nd half. For the game,
Philadelphia shot 51.8% (43-83) FG including 2-5 3-pointers and Dallas
shot 47.4% (37-78) FG including 3-14 3-pointers - with the first made 3
not coming until midway through the 4th quarter. Dallas even struggled at
the line in shooting 20-30 FT. Philadelphia shot 24-28 FG. Philadelphia
out-rebounded Dallas 43-36 including 13-12 offensive.
Allen Iverson got going in the 2nd half and was the high man with 25
points and had 7 assists. And he plenty of help this night. Kyle Korver
broke his slump and got hot. He had 20 points on 9-11 FG. Andre Iguodala
was the 3rd 76er with 20+ points with 22 points on 7-11 FG and 8-8 FT. He
also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Chris Webber had a quiet double-double
with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He also had 3 blocks. The 76ers had help
off the bench with John Salmons having 9 points and 4 rebounds, John
Thomas having 5 points and 7 rebounds, and Lee Nailon having 8 points on
4-4 FG.
No word yet as to Dirk Nowitzki's status for tonight's game - it will be a
game-time decision. He felt better yesterday, but did not go through a
full practice. Nowitzki had 14 points and 2 rebounds in 17 1st half
minutes. No word yet either on the status for Devin Harris, also listed
as game-time decision - though he is more likely to play than Nowitzki.
Harris followed up his excellent 4th quarter performance against the Spurs
with a dud of just 2 points on 0-3 FG and 2-2 FT, 2 rebounds, and no
assists in 8 minutes. The twins had a tough outing as neither could hit a
shot. Josh Howard had 12 points including 4-15 FG, 4 rebounds, and 6
assists. Marquis Daniels had 12 points including 4-12 FG, 3 rebounds, and
5 assists. Erick Dampier had 8 points and 5 rebounds in the 1st half and
just 3 points and 3 rebounds in the 2nd half. 9 of Keith Van Horn's 13
rebounds came in the 1st half. He led the way for Dallas with 19 points
including 9-16 FG and 0-5 3-pointers. Jason Terry had 15 points on 6-11
FG and 3-5 3-pointers and 5 assists before fouling out. Doug Christie had
8 points. DeSagana Diop had 2 points on 1-1 FG and 0-3 FT, 2 rebounds,
and 4 blocks in 12 minutes and Darrell Armstrong had 2 points in 11
minutes.
Quotes
Maurice Cheeks: "I'm just glad I am sitting up here with a smile on my
face this time. That was a heck of a game for us. Everybody who came in
the game did a heck of a job. I think our bench was real big. They
changed the game. I think Kevin Ollie, James Thomas, John Salmons, and
Lee Nailon - those guys were big for us, particularly in the 2nd half.
Their pressure up the floor and the ability to move the ball from side to
side was huge for us. James Thomas on the screen-and-rolls was big in
stopping the ball. We had a little trouble in the 1st half and I thought
he really stepped up and showed the energy that we needed. Those guys
really gave us the cushion to win this game. Of course Kyle Korver
hitting shots makes it a lot easier for everybody, but our guys coming of
the bench really gave us a big lift."
Cheeks: "Our bench really changed the game. Those guys were big for us,
particularly in the 2nd half. Their pressure up the floor and the ability
to move the ball from side to side was huge for us."
Cheeks on his bench: "It's very rewarding but I think it was about our
bench and the defensive pressure that they put on and rebounding the ball
and pushing it up the floor. I thought our bench was as good as it has
been. I think our bench in Indiana was a factor in winning the game and I
think our bench tonight was a major factor in winning the game."
Cheeks on the bench's defense: "So far that's been our kick. We haven't
had a lot of guys come off the bench and score. Lee Nailon has probably
been our best scorer off the bench. Our forte off the bench is defense.
When we put Kevin Ollie, James Thomas, and John Salmons in, those are the
guys that usually carry us on defensive end, and again those are the guys
that pushed the lead up and enabled us to win the game."
Cheeks on sitting Iverson early in the 4th: "I just wanted to get him some
rest early. When I took him out of the game, we went on a little run and
got going. They started creeping back into the game and that's the reason
why I put him back in the game."
Cheeks on Iguodala: "He got out in the open court. We ran a few plays for
him, but not more than normal. I think he got more off the defensive end
in terms of pushing the ball and getting some easy baskets."
Chris Webber on the bench: "Any team, usually in practices, the 2nd team
as the season goes on always beats the starters because those guys are
hungry and want playing time. Kevin Ollie is a veteran and I knew about
him before I played with him. His heart and his style is just contagious.
You know John Salmons is a great scorer. Lee Nailon came off the bench
and really got us going with that inbound steal and started the pressure
up top. James Thomas, the way he rebounded was incredible. We're young
and it's going to take a total effort for us to win, especially against
the better teams, so we need everybody to come out and give their best
effort."
Webber on Dallas' late run: "It's frustrating because it seems like in
those type of runs you're making turnovers and silly mistakes and the
opportunities that you do get for a shot go in or out or long rebounds go
right over your head. It's a frustrating situation, but it started with
our effort tonight and we're proud of that."
Webber on Nowitzki: "I hope he's not hurt or anything, but you know he's a
great player. I don't care who you're playing, if one of the starters
goes down, you hope they're okay, but you're not too worried about them.
Andre Iguodala on the win: "I think everyone was just on the same page.
Monday's practice was great. It was very competitive. Guys went at it.
When you have practices like that like that, defensively, it helps us
because guys go really hard and we can understand each other and where to
help."
Iguodala: "Our bench is stronger than what people thought. With those
guys coming in, we can feel comfortable putting them out there, keeping a
lead or helping us get back in a game if we're down."
Iguodala on the bench: "Dallas is a pretty deep team as well, but it
showed that when our guys came out on the court, they put out that extra
effort and got it done."
Kyle Korver: "That was probably the best basketball we've played all
year."
Korver: "We're just trying to get win right now. We came in here with a
1-3 record and we had to fight and scrap to get the win and that was
huge."
Korver on the bench: "Lee was big. KO [Ollie] was big again. John
[Salmons] stepped up. A lot of people kind of questioned [our bench] at
the beginning of the year. They've gotten their chances and played very
well."
Korver: "I was trying to get any [shot to fall] for a little while. It
was frustrating about 4 or 5 days ago. It feels good [to come out and
shoot well]. We've got some more games at home now - hopefully, we can
get on a little roll and get our record up to where it should be."
Korver on his recent struggles: "I was obviously frustrated. I'm trying
to expand my game and everything, and there are some nights you just can't
make anything and some nights like tonight I shot a couple of shots that
didn't feel good at all and they go in. It's just one of those nights."
Lee Nailon: "If we come with the same spark every night, we'll put
ourselves with a good chance to win the game."
Kevin Ollie: "We just tried to bring energy, to play with reckless
abandon, try and change the tempo; that's what we have up on the board,
'Change the tempo'. We stayed up on defense, and that got us a lot of
easy buckets. We're just not an offensive team that's going to out-score
you. We've got to work our offense off our defense; that's what we did.
That allows us to get out on the break, to use our athleticism a little
bit. That's how we're going to have to win. We can't win any other way."
John Thomas on getting playing time: "It is very rewarding. It is a
blessing and a good opportunity for me to go out there and get to showcase
what I do best, which is rebounding and defending."
Thomas on the bench: "That is what we need every night. You follow in
good footsteps when the starting unit gets the lead. [The bench] has to
go in there and try to keep it - it just makes us play harder."
Avery Johnson: "We had a decent 1st half, then they put it on us the 2nd
half."
Johnson on Philadelphia's 2nd half run: "During that stretch they had
applied the pressure. They penetrated well and we didn't handle their
press. We practiced against it and didn't execute. This is my fault."
Johnson: "They really put it on us in the 2nd half. They penetrated.
They had a stretch at the end of the 3rd quarter where we didn't handle
their press. We had a lot of turnovers during that stretch."
Johnson: "It wasn't because AI had a typical AI game that we lost this
game. It was Korver and Iguodala. We had a decent 1st half. Then they
penetrated well and we didn't execute. That's my fault."
Johnson on Nowitzki: "He should be okay. He's day-to-day. Him not being
there at the end is no excuse for tonight's loss."
Dirk Nowitzki on his back: "It had been stiff the last 2 or 3 weeks. When
I made a move on the baseline, I twisted the wrong way and that's when the
back locked up. It will be all right. I saw a doctor and a chiropractor
and the back is beginning to loosen up. I'll get some treatment tomorrow
and hopefully be ready either Friday or Saturday."
Nowitzki on if the flare up is related to recent back trouble: "It's kind
of new. I don't know what's going on right now. The biggest part is
nothing is really damaged in there. As long as it's muscle, I think
that's something we can live with."
Jason Terry on losing Nowitzki: "It's tough when you lose your key player.
It was a big factor. We still had a chance, we still had an opportunity
to win it. They out-played us in the 4th quarter to win the ball game."
Terry on losing Nowitzki: "It's tough when you lose your key player. But
we had the game under control and they just beat us in the 2nd half."
Terry on Philadelphia's 2nd half run: "They got a couple turnovers. They
got easy baskets in the paint."
Keith Van Horn: "When they turned up the pressure, we didn't handle it
very well. We rushed things and we got out of sync and it really hurt us.
We didn't come down and run our offense. We let the pressure bother us."
Van Horn on Philadelphia's press: "We didn't handle it very well at all.
They got a couple turnovers, and the momentum swung right at the end of
the 3rd."
Van Horn on Philadelphia's run: "I don't necessarily think it was the
press, but it certainly upped their aggressiveness in other areas. I
don't think we handled it very well. We rushed things and got out of
sync."
Darrell Armstrong: "All night they were playing into our hands until the
end of the 3rd. Then it seemed like the momentum shifted in their hands
and they just kept rolling. When you let a team build up a 17 point lead
every once in a while you're going to come back from it. If you do you're
going to die down at the end. I felt like we had a chance. They just
made the right plays at the right time."
Armstrong: "I know that we didn't play our best basketball, but we played
well enough to win the game. Once we got down by 6, it was tough to
overcome especially when they did it in span of 2 or 3 minutes."
Armstrong on losing Nowitzki: "It's always going to hurt when you don't
have your top scorer in the game. You already have Stackhouse, who's one
of our top scorers, who's out too. But we have other guys who can score
points. We need everybody in the lineup."
Philadelphia 76ers 112, Dallas Mavericks 97 at Philadelphia (November 9)
1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT%
Philadelphia 26 20 30 36 - 112 .526 .400 .518 .857
Dallas 26 26 19 26 - 97 .531 .214 .474 .667
Halftime: Dallas 52-46
3rd Q: Philadelphia 76-71
Technicals: Philadelphia defensive 3 seconds 7:18 1st
Refs: James Capers, Joe DeRosa, Derrick Collins
Attendance: 13,392 (cap 20,294)
Philadelphia 76ers REB
Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK
Andre Iguodala 44 7-11 0-0 8-8 22 2-7 5 2 2 2 1
Allen Iverson 38 8-21 0-1 9-11 25 2-3 7 4 0 1 0
Kyle Korver 41 9-11 2-4 0-0 20 0-4 3 2 3 1 1
Chris Webber 38 7-18 0-0 5-6 19 2-11 2 3 3 1 3
Steven Hunter 15 2-2 0-0 0-0 4 2-3 0 0 3 0 0
Kevin Ollie 19 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 5 0 2 0 0
John Salmons 17 4-10 0-0 1-1 9 2-4 1 0 1 2 0
John Thomas 17 2-4 0-0 1-2 5 1-7 0 1 5 0 1
Lee Nailon 12 4-4 0-0 0-0 8 2-2 0 0 3 1 0
Totals 48 43-83 2-5 24-28 112 13-43 23 13 22 8 6
Dallas Mavericks REB
Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK
Jason Terry 36 6-11 3-5 0-0 15 1-2 5 3 6 0 1
Doug Christie 30 4-7 0-1 0-0 8 0-0 1 3 1 1 1
Josh Howard 38 4-15 0-0 4-6 12 2-4 6 0 2 0 0
Dirk Nowitzki 17 5-8 0-2 4-5 14 0-2 1 0 3 0 0
Erick Dampier 20 3-3 0-0 5-6 11 3-8 0 1 3 2 2
Keith Van_Horn 37 9-16 0-5 1-2 19 4-13 1 6 4 2 0
Marquis Daniels 30 4-12 0-0 4-6 12 1-3 5 1 0 0 0
DeSagana Diop 12 1-1 0-0 0-3 2 1-2 0 0 2 0 4
Darrell Armstrong 11 1-2 0-1 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Devin Harris 8 0-3 0-0 2-2 2 0-2 0 0 1 0 0
Totals 48 37-78 3-14 20-30 97 12-36 19 14 23 5 8
patricia